© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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Bearded Cod / Bearded Rock Cod / Southern Rock Cod

Family Name:	Moridae
Scientific Name:	Pseudophycis barbata Günther, 1863
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient, possibly Near Threatened
Rationale:  Although Pseudophycis barbata has a broad geographic range and depth distribution across southern Australia, it is included here because (i) it is a strongly site-associated fish from continental shelf waters, and may thus be susceptible to site-specific impacts in some areas; (ii) although occasionally recorded, its relative abundance in South Australia is poorly known (likely due to its cryptic nature); (iii) it is taken in a number of commercial fisheries across southern Australia, with a seemingly large bycatch in rock lobster fisheries, likely due to its attraction to baited pots, and lobster pots may be a significant source of mortality in some areas; (iv) considering the lack of information about population sizes and sustainability of catches, there are inadequate catch restrictions in commercial fisheries; (v) the recreational catch is poorly quantified, and there are no catch restrictions in most States (other than Tasmania); and (vi) there is little information on the biology (particularly longevity, and reproduction), and population dynamics of this species. If environmentally-driven variations in recruitment strength are large (as appears to be the case with the closely related species Pseudophycis bachus), then P. barbata may be vulnerable to over-exploitation in fisheries, particularly where effort levels and allowable catches do not consider the variations in population abundance over time.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

General

Bearded Cod is widespread around New Zealand (Roberts, 1987; Paulin et al., 1989; Francis, 1996; Roberts et al., 2005), and the Chatham Islands (Roberts, 1991), and is also found across southern Australia (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Cohen et al., 1990).

Southern Australia

Bearded Cod is broadly distributed across southern Australia, from south-western W.A. through to the central coast of N.S.W., including Tasmania (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Edgar, 2000).
Along the southern coast of Australia, Bearded Cod is considered to be more common in the east than in the west (Cohen et al., 1990).

South Australia

The species has been recorded from waters across the entire South Australian coast, from the W.A. / S.A. border through to the S.A. / Victorian border. Examples of locations in South Australia where Bearded Cod has been recorded include upper and mid (e.g. 60m) and lower (e.g. 180m) continental shelf waters in the Great Australian Bight, including the head of the Bight; Ceduna area (eastern GAB); western Eyre Peninsula (e.g. Venus Bay / Anxious Bay area); mid-western Spencer Gulf (e.g. Franklin Harbour area); eastern Spencer Gulf (e.g. Moonta Bay); southern Eyre Peninsula (e.g. Port Lincoln area, and Coffin Bay area); northern Kangaroo I. (e.g. Stokes Bay, Emu Bay); north-eastern Kangaroo I. (e.g. Penneshaw, Hog Bay); southern Kangaroo I.; southern Yorke Peninsula (e.g. Point Soutta, Corney Point, and other areas); northern Gulf St Vincent (GSV); metropolitan coast of GSV (e.g. Glenelg wrecks; Hallett Cove, and other areas); Fleurieu Peninsula (e.g. Normanville area; Rapid Bay); Encounter Bay, the mid South East (e.g. Robe area) and the lower South East (near the Victorian border) (Glover, 1979; Johnson, 1985b; University of British Columbia data, cited in Anonymous, 1996; MLSSA, 1999a; National Museum of Natural History data, cited in Anonymous, 2001a; SARDI data, 2002, cited by R. Foster, S.A. Museum, pers. comm., 2006; D. Muirhead, unpubl. data, 2003, and pers. comm., 2008; CSIRO Marine Research records, cited in CSIRO, 2007; South Australian Museum records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).

Habitat

Bearded Cod are usually found on rocky reefs, particularly in wave-exposed areas (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994; Edgar, 2000), and in rocky estuaries (Kuiter, 1993), but have also been recorded in other habitats (see below).
In south-western Australia, Hyndes et al. (1999) recorded the species in sandy (soft bottom) habitat. Similarly, at the Recherche Archipelago in south-western W.A., P. barbata has been recorded very infrequently in soft-bottom habitat (worked by bottom dredge) (Hutchins, 2005).
In New Zealand, Bearded Cod are reported to be abundant at estuary mouths (Cohen et al., 1990).
The reported depth range is broad, about 1m to ~ 300m (Cohen et al., 1990; Kuiter, 1993; Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994).

Notes on the Biology

Age and Growth

Bearded Cod grows to about 70cm (Hutchins and Swainston, 2001).
The record size of P. barbata is 5.897kg, being a very large specimen taken by spearfishing in Tasmania (Hutchins and Swainston, 2001; Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003).
Walker (1972, cited by Horn, 1996) reported that P. barbata lives to about 6 years, but the data used in that study have not been validated.

Diet

Bearded Cod feeds on benthic crustaceans (Scott et al., 1974, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2007). A study in New Zealand showed that when searching for prey, P. barbata is in constant motion, and uses more than one sensory system. It detects the respiratory currents of live crabs using its lateral line and detects dead crabs through the use of its barbels (Bassett and Montgomery, 2005).

Reproduction

No information on reproduction in P. barbata could be found for this report, but it is noted that age at maturity, season of spawning, fecundity and other aspects of reproduction have been investigated in the related species Pseudophycis bachus (see synopsis).

Fisheries Information

Commercial – General

P. barbata is caught commercially (along with P. bachus) in both Australia and New Zealand, and separate catch statistics for the two species are not recorded.

Commercial – Commonwealth Fisheries

P. barbata is a commercial species in southern Australia, and the marketing name is “Southern Rock Cod” (Seafood Services Australia, 2005). It is considered to be “good eating: (Sea-Ex Australia, 2006). P. barbata is part of the bycatch in the Commonwealth-managed SESSF (Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fisheries) (AFMA, 2002a), including the South East Trawl Fishery (SETF), in which it is caught commercially in small quantities (Andrew et al., 1997). Wayte et al. (2004) reported that in the otter trawl sub-fishery of the Commonwealth-managed SETF, an Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) recorded, in 10 trawl shots: 67kg of P. barbata retained, and 24kg discarded.
Bromhead and Bolton (2005) reported that the species is also a retained by-product in the Gillnet Hook and Trap Fishery (GHAT). In the Southern Shark Fishery, a component of the GHAT, the species is vulnerable to capture using shark-hooks. Experiments during the 1970s showed that about 25-50 specimens were caught per 100,000 hook hours (or 1000 km hours) using hooks of various sizes (Walker et al., 2003). The species is also vulnerable to capture in gillnets, but mainly small mesh gillnets. In experiments undertaken during the mid 1970’s, considerable numbers of Bearded Cod (e.g. 59 – 167 specimens per 1000 km hours) were caught using small mesh gillnets (2-inch, 3-inch and 4-inch), but it is noted that meshes of such size are no longer used in the Southern Shark Fishery (Walker et al., 2003).
P. barbata is a minor component of the catch in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (GABTF). Sampling of the GABTF during 2000 and 2001 showed that during the survey period, P. barbata was recorded in 8 of the 209 trawl shots. None was retained, and the average quantity discarded was 1.4kg per shot (Brown and Knuckey, 2002; AFMA, 2002a).
According to Bromhead and Bolton (2005), the species is a retained by-product in the Small Pelagic Fishery, and part of the discarded bycatch in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery, and the Southern and Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery.

Commercial – Southern States

The species occasionally appears in the Melbourne market, taken from rock lobster pots (Cohen et al., 1990). For example, it is noted that from 1996 to 1998, between 15t and 20t per annum of Morid cods (reported to be P. barbata) were sold at the Melbourne Wholesale Fish Market (C.H. Smith Marine, 2005).
P. barbata is listed as a commercial fish species in Tasmania (Lyle and Jordan, 1999). The species is reported to be taken by mainly by gillnet in this area (Cohen et al., 1990). Smith and Heran (2001) reported that the combined commercial catch of species in Pseudophycis ranged between 10t and 20t in almost all years between 1990 and 2000, but declined to 4t in 2001. The proportion of the catch that was P. barbata is not known for this report.
In a study of bycatch in the Tasmanian Rock Lobster fishery, 18,302 rock lobster pots (without escape gaps) were examined between 1992 and 1997. During that period, 558 Bearded Cods were caught (i.e. an estimate of 33 pot-lifts required for the capture of 1 animal) (Frusher and Gibson, 1998, cited by Ford, 2001). The study also showed that lobster pots with escape gaps can significantly reduce the number of some reef fishes caught (Frusher and Gibson, 1998, cited by Ford, 2001), which would likely include Bearded Cod.
It is also taken in Victoria, as evidenced by commercial fishing records of P. barbata from the Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait region (Anonymous, 2002b).
Bearded Cod is a minor part of the bycatch in the Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop fishery. During a bycatch survey in 2001, 1 specimen was recorded in 35 random tows (Haddon and Semmens, 2001), and in 2002, 2 specimens were recorded in 59 random tows (Haddon and Semmens, 2002).
P. barbata is part of the bycatch in the N.S.W. Estuary Prawn Trawl Fishery (Liggins et al., 1996; New South Wales Fisheries, 2002).

Commercial – South Australia

P. barbata is a bycatch species in the South Australian Rock Lobster fishery (Sloan, 2003a). Bycatch sampling in 1991 – 92 showed that in the Northern Zone of the fishery, only 4 specimens in the Moridae family (Lotella and/or Pseudophycis) were caught in 4 pots (in a sample of 32, 028 pots); and in the Southern Zone of the fishery, at least 64 Morid fish were caught in 54 pots (in a sample of 21,108 pots) (Prescott and Xiao, 2001). A more recent bycatch monitoring program in the S.A. Rock Lobster Fishery showed that P. barbata is one of the most commonly taken bycatch species (in terms of numbers caught) in both the Northern and Southern Zone of that fishery (Brock et al., 2004). The catches in each zone are shown below. Total catch estimated from logbook records was comparable with that estimated from bycatch monitoring. Based on the logbook results, the total annual catch of Bearded Cod may be in the vicinity of 1,000 – 2,000 individuals per annum in the Northern Zone, and 4,000 – 8,000 individuals in the Southern Zone. During a 1% sub-sample of the total number of pot lifts in 2002/03, 35 P. barbata individuals were caught in the Northern Zone, and 32 in the Southern Zone (see Brock et al., 2004). If the sample is considered to be representative, then the total annual catch might be in the vicinity of 3,000 – 3,500 individuals in each zone (Table 17). It is not known what proportion of the bycatch may be P. breviuscula, P. bachus or L. rhacina, rather than P. barbata.

Table 17 Proportional catch of Bearded Cod in the S.A. Rock Lobster Fishery
Northern Zone	No. pot lifts (and percentage of total)	No. P. barbata specimens caught
2001/02	320,003 (51%)	668
2002/03	265,843 (47%)	512
Southern Zone	No. pot lifts (and percentage of total)	No. P. barbata specimens caught
2001/02	545,886 (60%)	5,162
2002/03	486,155 (57%)	2,523
from Log Book Monitoring 2001-2003 (Brock et al., 2004)

Recreational

The species is likely to be taken occasionally in shallower waters by anglers, but there are no species-specific data.
Bearded Cod is taken by recreational fishers in Tasmania (Lyle and Campbell, 1999), by gillnets and lines. Smith and Heran (2001) reported that the recreational gillnet catch of species in Pseudophycis is about 9.1t per annum, but the total catch (all fishing methods combined) is not recorded, nor are species-specific catch statistics. There is a possession limit of 30 Morid cod, all species combined (Department of Primary Industries and Water web site, October, 2006).
The species is taken by spear fishers, and is promoted as a target species in southern waters (e.g. International Freediving and Spearfishing News, undated). Bearded Cod was one of the species targeted in national and State spearfishing competitions held in S.A. during the 1970s and 1980s, with specimens over 0.5kg eligible for “weighing-in”, during the national contest (e.g. Johnson, 1985b) and over 0.25kg in the S.A. contests (Johnson, 1985a). Examples of locations in S.A. where Bearded Cod specimens have been taken in spearfishing competitions include Point Soutta and Corny Point (Johnson, 1985b). More recently, Bearded Cod (specimens over 0.4kg) was listed as one of the targets in the 54th Australian Spearfishing Titles 2006, held on northern Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Australian Underwater Federation, 2006). One of the record sized specimens was taken by spear fishing, in Tasmania (Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

Adults are site-associated benthic fish and thus may be vulnerable to site-specific impacts in some areas, and also to by-capture in various fishing gear (e.g. rock lobster pots, gill-nets and trawls).

Threatening Processes

By-catch in some of the State-based fisheries is likely to be the main threatening process, at least in parts of the range where the species is accessible to specific gear, such as rock lobster pots.
In Commonwealth-managed fisheries, the species is caught in lower numbers than is the Red Cod P. bachus (see below), and available information indicates that lower numbers are caught in Commonwealth fisheries than some State fisheries. There has been little assessment of the effects of fishing on this species, but a recent draft ecological risk assessment report for the South East Trawl Fishery, listed P. barbata as being a “medium risk” species, in terms of population impacts from trawling (Wayte et al., 2004).

Research Requirements

There is a paucity of information on the habitat requirements of the species in the lower part of the continental shelf and upper slope, and the extent to which Bearded Cod is vulnerable to capture in such habitats.
There is a lack of data on the biology (including longevity, and reproduction), and population dynamics of this species.

Research Notes

During the early 2000s, work was undertaken in south-eastern Australia to determine the proportion of each Pseudophycis species (P. bachus, P. barbata and P. breviuscula) in the diet of Australian Fur Seal and Little Penguin, using analyses of otolith shape and otolith microchemistry (e.g. Kemp et al., 2005).

Management Requirements

Commercial catch statistics should be separated to species level. For example, BRS (2004) reported catches from Tasmania in the dozens of tonnes during the 1990s (e.g. 64t in 1995/96) of “cods – unspecified, in the Melanonidae and Moridae”. It is impossible to determine the proportion of P. barbata in such aggregated catches of “cods”, and therefore such data would be of little use in population and fisheries assessments.
Measures to reduce the bycatch of Pseudophycis species in rock lobster pots (e.g. fitting escape gaps) should be encouraged.
Recreational fishing limits (for anglers and spear fishers) are required in some States, including South Australia. It is noted that there are fishing limits for Morid cods in Tasmania.

Other Information

P. barbata is found in a number of protected areas in Victoria, such as Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park (MNP) and Bunurong MNP (Edmunds et al., 2003).
The species has been recorded in some New Zealand reserves (e.g. Goat Island - Anthoni, 1997).
P. barbata has been recorded in the Great Australian Bight Marine Park (R. Foster, South Australian Museum, pers. comm., 2006).